COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 8, 2013) – All the news about U.S. men’s volleyball players in the U.S. and around the world.

GERMANY

U.S. outside hitter Scott Touzinsky (St. Louis, Mo.), a 2008 Olympian, setter Kawika Shoji (Honolulu, Hawaii) and the German league team the Berlin Recycling Volleys are now 2-0 in their playoff semifinal series against TV Ingersoll Bühl. On April 6, Berlin defeated Bühl, 20-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-19. Touzinsky scored 15 points on 13 kills (59.1 kill percent, .545 hitting efficiency) and two blocks and was also credited with 26 receptions, 58 percent positive. Shoji added four points on two attacks, one block and one ace. He set Berlin to a 50.0 kill percent and a 45.3 hitting efficiency. The two teams will play again on March 10. To view an interview with Shoji (in Germany) on the Berlin Recycling Volleys web site, click here.

POLAND

U.S. outside hitter Paul Lotman (Lakewood, Calif.), a 2012 Olympian, and his Polish league team Asseco Resovia Rzeszów are 1-1 in the Polish league finals against ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle. On April 7, Kędzierzyn-Koźle defeated Resovia Rzeszów, 28-26, 25-20, 25-23. Lotman scored six points on five attacks and one block. To view photos from the match, click here. On April 8, Resovia Rzeszów came back to win 25-23, 19-25, 25-22, 25-23. Lotman scored 12 points on 12 attacks (54.5 kill percent, .545 hitting efficiency). He was credited with 28 receptions, 54 percent positive. The teams will meet again on April 13.

U.S. middle blocker Russell Holmes (Fountain Valley, Calif.), a 2012 Olympian, and Jastrzębski Węgiel are 0-1 in the third-place playoff. On April 8, Delecta Bydgoszcz defeated Jastrzębski Węgiel, 25-27, 26-24, 25-21, 25-16. Holmes scored five points on four attacks and one ace. The teams will play again on April 9.

ITALY

U.S. middle blocker Max Holt (Cincinnati, Ohio) and his Italian Serie A league team Copra Elior Piacenza have advanced to the semifinals of the league playoffs where they will face Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata. Piacenza advanced by defeating Sir Safety Perugia, 2-0 in the quarterfinals. The semifinals will being on April 10.

U.S. opposite Murphy Troy (St. Louis, Mo.) and Andreoli Latina have completed their season after losing in the quarterfinals to Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata, 2-1. In the third match of the quarterfinals, Latina fell 25-19, 25-17, 25-23. Troy started the first and third sets and scored 12 points on 11 kills and one ace.

U.S. setter Donald Suxho (Korce, Albania), a 2004 and ’12 Olympian, and Drean Bolívar are 1-2 against UPCN San Juan Voley Club in the semifinals of the Argentinian league playoffs. On April 1, Drean Bolívar defeated San Juan, 25-22, 25-20, 25-17. Suxho scored two points on two blocks and also set Bolívar to a 67.8 kill percent and a .644 hitting efficiency. On April 3, San Juan came back to defeat Bolívar, 25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 27-29, 15-13. Suxho scored one point on one kill. He set Bolívar to a 48.9 kill percent and a .466 hitting efficiency. On April 6, San Juan defeated Bolívar, 25-22, 25-23, 27-25. Suxhso scored one points with a kill and set Bolívar to a 40.0 kill percent and a .276 hitting efficiency. The two teams will play again on April 8. The series is best-of-five. To view a story (in Spanish) with quotes from Suxho, click here.

TURKEY

U.S. outside hitter Reid Priddy (Richmond, Va.), a 2004, ’08 and ’12 Olympian, and his Turkish league team Halkbank Ankara won their first playoff match against Ziraat Bankasi, 25-23, 25-20, 25-19 on April 7. Priddy did not play in the match. The teams will play again on April 10.

U.S. opposite Brook Billings (Santa Barbara, Calif.), a 2004 Olympian, and Istanbul BBSK won their first playoff match against M Milli Piyango, 21-25, 25-21, 27-25, 28-30, 20-18 on April 7. Billings led all scorers with 38 points on 37 attacks (66.1 kill percent, .607 hitting efficiency) and one block. The teams will play again on April 10.

U.S. setter Kevin Hansen (Newport Beach, Calif.), a 2008 Olympian, and Arkas Izmir Spor won their first playoff match over Gümüşhane Torul Gençlik, 25-23, 25-22, 25-17 on April 7. The teams will play again on April 10.

FRANCE

U.S. middle blocker David Smith (Saugus, Calif.), a 2012 Olympian, and the French league team Tours have advanced to the semifinals of the French league playoffs after defeating Rennes in the quarterfinals, 2-1. Tours lost the first match of the quarterfinals, 16-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-13, 15-9 on April 3. Smith scored seven points on four attacks (66.7 kill percent, .667 hitting efficiency) and three blocks. On April 6, Tours defeated Rennes, 25-18, 25-22, 25-18. Smith scored six points on three attacks, two blocks and one ace. On April 7, Tours beat Rennes, 25-16, 25-22, 25-20. Tours will play Narbonne in the semifinals, which begin on April 12.

Cannes, the French league team of U.S. outside hitter Robert Tarr (Cape Canaveral, Fla.) and middle blocker Matt Rawson (Los Angeles), also advanced to the semifinals after defeating Sete in two matches. On April 3, Cannes defeated Sete, 25-21, 26-24, 28-26. Tarr started all three sets and scored eight points on eight attacks. Rawson did not play in the match. On April 6, Cannes beat Sete, 27-25, 19=25, 27-25, 25-21. Cannes will play Paris in the semifinals.

U.S. outside hitter Matt Anderson (West Seneca, N.Y.), a 2012 Olympian, and his Russian Super League team Zenit Kazan finished the regular season in first place with a 19-3 record. Kazan won its final regular season match on March 27 with a 25-23, 19-25, 26-24, 22-25, 15-12 victory over Lokomotiv Belogorie Belgorod. Anderson started the third, fourth and fifth sets and finished with 22 points on 21 attacks (65.6 kill percent, .625 hitting efficiency) and one block. To view photos from the match, click here. Kazan is awaiting its first playoff opponent. Its first playoff match is scheduled for April 13.

WORLD LEAGUE TICKETS

Tickets for all three U.S. stops for the 2013 FIVB World League are now on sale. For information on how to purchase tickets, click here.

The U.S. Men’s National Volleyball Team will play Argentina on June 7-8 at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kan. It will play France on June 14-15 at the Tulsa Convention Center Arena in Reno Nev. It will play Bulgaria on June 28-29 at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nev.